Our Secrets To Preventing Getting Norovirus or Any GI Infection

[dutchess43]

I have to say get a bout of norvo on a cruise & believe me it will definately change what you do on a cruise or in a hotel room! It sure did for us & it was on a Celebrity cruise not a HAL. I do a lot of what the Op has posted, I now never travel without my can of lysol, clorox wipes, & hand sanitizer's. I also think it is a shame that the cruise lines only seem to come out with the sanitizer's when the ship is in code red. I wish it would be out all the time. I would prefer for the staff to put the food of my choice on my plate at the buffets then grab the utensil. Has anyone ever looked inside the pillow case & checked out the pillow before they rested their head on it? The last one on AOS there were blood stains on the pillow! You can only imagine how quickly that was removed! The precautions only take a few minutes & if you condition yourself regarding the elevator buttons, handrails, etc. you will notice eventually it will become second nature.

Thanks to the Op for posting additional ideas.

[shelby_36]

You never use your hands? Not for your bread, or burger or hotdog, or sandwich, or fries,cookies , well than I guess that would be ok.

[marci22]

Wiping everything down may seem excessive and useless but it can increase your chances of not getting something, although it will never guarantee it. After all, the stewards come in to your room daily and touch things all over again; all it takes is a moment of carelessness to expose someone to something contagious.

 

It is very possible that someone can touch lots of germy things, but if they do not touch their eyes, nose, or mouth with those germs, they will not get sick. In another case, someone can be very careful, then touch a germy handrail, touch their eyes, and get infected. All you are doing by being cautious is increasing your chances to remain illness-free, and that is worth it to me.

 

We did get noro on the last day of a Disney cruise, and it was truly awful. We were careful and yet my 5 year old son (and later, myself) still became ill.

 

I think most health professionals would follow the more conservative course of illness prevention, as they have seen how easy it is to get sick or infected from one careless touch.

[BroncosFan2010]

About two days before cruising, I begin to take Zicam and Airbourne once a day (at different times). I continue this throughout the duration of the cruise. I have never gotten sick on a cruise ship or on any vacation. I work with children and often pick up what they carry (they never get sick, but are little peetry dishes!). Zicam really does the trick. If you still get sick, it will greatly shorten the duration of a cold. It really helps boost immunity as well. Ginger capsules help with all forms of digestion, but are not meant to boost immunity. They can help settle an upset stomach though, and are a natural remedy to seasickness.

 

I am not overly paranoid or OC about germs on vacation. I want to enjoy my vacation, not worry about whether or not I touched a handrail! I ALWAYS wash my hand after using the restroom, and before eating. I carry hand sanitizer, but not because I am suddenly in a more germy environment. I always have it with me! I don't over use it, but it is great in times when hand washing is not available.

 

To be honest, I am more worried about picking up something on the plane on my way home after being tired and worn down from traveling all day!

[tnt10]

Good advice in all areas. We follow the same routine on airplanes, wiping down the trays, controls and armrests.

A little thought and prep can save several days of true misery.

Happy Sailing,

TnT

[sleepless]

There is a host of information about norovirus and GI infections on the CDC website, so I won't repeat that information here. Let me say, though, as a retired public health offical who has conducted hundreds if not thousands of food establishment sanitation inspections, here's what we do to prevent acquiring norovirus and other GI infections while cruising, riding public transportation, or eating anywhere:

 

First of all, consider all people and all surfaces as infected - especially when cruising. Sounds harsh, but would you rather be safe or confined to your cabin with the squirts, cramps, and worse?

 

When you first arrive in your cabin, whip out some sanitizing wipes and wipe down the TV remote, the telephone, door handles, and other surfaces that you are likely to touch with your hands.

 

Wash your hands after using the restroom, before eating after shaking hands with anyone (did THEY wash their hands after sneezing into their hand or doing number one or number two in the restroom?), or before eating after touching ANY public surface.

 

After washing your hands in a public restroom, use a paper towel to grab the door handle on the way out (remember that last person who came out of a stall and grabbed that door handle without washing). Drop the paper towel on the floor just inside the door and the management will learn to place a trash can there.

 

Do not place your silverware on the table surface. Get an extra plate or napkin and place your silverware there. In a buffet line, the silverware should be presented handle-end up in a holder. If you see it presented business-end up, avoid it - or clean it yourself with your handy bottle of sanitizer. Don't trust the trays in a buffet line either - often they are just wiped off using the same rag that was used to clean a dirty table.

 

Carry a small bottle of sanitizer with you at all times to augment your personal handwashing and use it just before you start to eat. Think about it - maybe you were given a squirt of sanitizer on the way into the MDR, but then you touch the menu that has been handled by who knows who. OR you were givien a squirt as you enter the buffet, but then you touch serving tongs used by 500 other people, the spigots of the coffee machine, the underside of the chair arms to pull your chair in, etc etc. Yuck.

 

Be highly suspicious and watch carefully any food handler or food workers wearing plastic gloves. (The gloves are useless for sanitation purposes and when cultured often carry more bacteria than bare hands) I've seen food handlers with the "magic" gloves go from handling a mop handle to handling food. I've seen food handlers with the "magic" gloves scratch their face, hair, and other body parts and then go back to handling food. I've seen food handlers wearing the "magic" gloves go from food handling to handling used plates and utensils, and then back to handling food. The only things the "magic" gloves do is keep the hands of the wearer clean.

 

Lastly, don't stick your fingers in your mouth, lick your finger to turn a page in a book, or rub your eye without sanitizing your hands.

 

All these tips work for me - I haven't had the flu or a GI illness since 1973 (I remember the last time vividly) and I only started getting flu shots when I hit age 55 at my DW's insistence. I went over 30 years without a flu shot and without getting the flu!

 

 

Sounds like a lot of extra work for me. I do wash my hands throughout the day, and after using the bathroom. I do not go the extra mile and avoid touching any surface. Nor do I clean surface or remote or door handles. I do tend to touch my face and eyes as I have allergies- they can become itchy - which I believe are not contagious. I do not use sanitizers on a regular basis. I have been known to carry one in my purse - just in case - but it usually dries out, as I seldom use it. I find just dropping a paper towel on the floor to be inconsiderate at best.

 

During the past 25 years, I have owned an operated (cooked, served food and cleaned beds and bathrooms) a Bed and Breakfast Inn, I have been a night time superivior in an assisted living/nursing home taking care of the physical needs of the elderly. And for the past 5 years, I have worked in a public school with children of all ages.

 

I have never had the flu, and have never had a flu shot. I have not had a 24 hour stomach bug for nearly 10 years. And, I am nearly 60 years old.

 

Incidently, studies have shown that the hand sanitizers are not effective. And those that contain alcohol actually do more harm then good as they kill the good bacteria that help to protect you from the bad bacteria and viruses that you may come into contact with.

 

I do agree with you about the "magic gloves". They serve no real purpose.

[EV2008]

I do the same as you, I am very consciences and me too have not had a flu in years, I can't remember the last time I was sick. I think it is a goof idea to clean as much of the surfaces in your cabin as possible. I never hold the hand rail, and if someone insits on shaking my hand I go wash my hand before I touch any of my food.

[CuriousMind]

I appreciate the OP's advice. We are always careful about cleaning the surfaces and our hands no matter where we go. Sometimes people would look at us as if we were crazy...but really, I would rather be safe than sorry.

 

Bringing our own utensils from home, at least for the kids, may not be a bad idea...now I come to think of it.

[hoop4321]

i liked the OP's advice. There are things that I won't do, but I am very conscious of hand washing, bathroom door handles and buffet tongs. We always get what we want on the buffet, then go wash our hands. People get weirded out when they see people finger foods on the buffet. When you touch the tong that someone who doesn't wash their hands after they use the restroom, you have just touched them...UGH........ The paper towel on the restroom floor amused me, but I would never do that. There are other places to deposit garbage along the way usually, and generally people try hard to do a good job at the places we frequent. I would never want them to think that I don't appreciate their hard work. Better to mention it to mgmt., than to create more work for someone else.

[cruisinfanatic]

Safer still - stay at home in your own disinfected environment.

 

I have been cruising for 20 years and have never done any of the things you say. I have never been ill on a cruise.

 

In my opinion, just normal precautions like washing your hands after using the bathroom is all that is necessary. Sounds to me like your cruise is not relaxed and enjoyable if you are always worrying about who has touched what.

 

You want to explain how washing your hands protects you from getting sick?

It's not your hands that make you sick. It's everyone elses who's may not be clean.

[cruisinfanatic]

Ever notice where your waiter puts the unused silverware when he changes courses?

Not in the dirty dishes!

The unused silverware that you've been breathing on goes right back in the dispenser to be used for the next place setting for someone elses dinner.

[gdpups]

Thank you for your wonderful tips. I've printed a copy and will bring it along with me on our cruise as a reminder. Maybe some people have been lucky and haven't gotten sick, but I sure don't want to take the chance of spoiling my vacation. Believe me, get sick in Mexico (I have) and you don't want it to happen again. Thanks again for taking the time to post them here!

[ChevyCruiser]

Thank you for your wonderful tips. I've printed a copy and will bring it along with me on our cruise as a reminder. Maybe some people have been lucky and haven't gotten sick, but I sure don't want to take the chance of spoiling my vacation. Believe me, get sick in Mexico (I have) and you don't want it to happen again. Thanks again for taking the time to post them here!

 

You, and the others who posted a thanks, are most certainly welcome. It's the little things that can make a difference. Happy and healthy cruising to you.

 

To those of you who think my precautions are overkill, best of luck to you and I wish you happy and healthy cruising as well.

[dms42]

I'll be curious to see if that spray liquid (not the aerosal) lysol or clorox spray works. Or if wet wipe things are better.

 

I have brought the Clorox liquid spray with us the last 3 cruises and we've never been sick. We get balcony cabins, and I go out and spray the railing and patio furniture first. Like you, I spray down all of the surfaces including the entire bathroom, handles, pillow cases...everything. We hang out for about 10 minutes then unpack and settle in. I agree that the most important thing everyone can do is keep your hands away from your mouth, and wash your hands before you eat or drink! Simple, common sense makes all the difference.

[xpcdoojk]

This thread reminds me of George Carlin. I guess I am just a throwback, but doing house keeping doesn't sound like a holiday to me. :rolleyes:

 

jc

[shelby_36]

Are you by any chance a guy? I'm guessing you are if you think a swipe of a clorox wipe is housekeeping.

[Poohb]

Another tip for the public bathrooms on ships; avoid touching the door handle, push the 'handicap' door opener with your elbow.

[ehfl]

I don't follow any of those tips, and I've never had a GI problem.

 

If you want to be healty, you need a strong immune system. The only way to strengthen your immune system, is exposure to germs. If you sterilize your environment, you will weaken your immune system....and that's not healthy.

[whyrlygig]

Thanks for the tips! Good reminders for all. I do some of these myself. Taking 2 minutes so sanitize my cabin surfaces certainly won't spoil my vacation but NORO sure would.

[lovesublime]

I've posted this on a couple of other forums but no one seems to care. Wet Ones wipes contain benzethonium chloride which kills noro. "Wet Ones" brand wipes can be purchased at Walmart or even your grocery store. We've carried these with us on our last three cruises and none of us have become ill. These wipes are especially useful just before eating. We took then to the MDR and no one blinked an eye at us.

[marci22]

I don't follow any of those tips, and I've never had a GI problem.

 

If you want to be healty, you need a strong immune system. The only way to strengthen your immune system, is exposure to germs. If you sterilize your environment, you will weaken your immune system....and that's not healthy.

 

Are you a doctor? I don't think so, otherwise you would not make such a silly statement.

 

There are many different kinds of noroviruses, and being infected with one does not prevent infection from another kind at a later time. In an enclosed environment, with many people, it is easy to transfer germs via public areas. Your best chance to avoid an outbreak is always to be cautious. I am not saying to hose down your stateroom daily, but a little care regarding frequently touched surfaces can only increase your chances of staying healthy.

 

Of course you can't avoid everything, but avoiding handrails and bathroom door handles is always a good idea.

[3redheads]

I never thought of the "magic" gloves. Yuck!

[lovetocruise99]

I also do everything the OP suggests on every cruise since my DD became sick on a Norwegian cruise years ago. A sick child on a cruise is not something you ever want to happen to you. In the middle of the night you can't get clean sheets, towels, etc. So after that I try to do everything I can in reason to ward it off.

 

I don't eat with my hands either but I might pick up a cracker (how would you eat this with a fork?) or a piece of toast etc. I always hand sanitize after I go through the buffet. Has anyone ever used a napkin to handle the serving tongs? I would think besides the handrails this would be the worst place to pick up something considering the number of people touching them.

[iheartbda]

First few cruises I did nothing out of the ordinary except for frequent handwashing and using a towel or a piece of clothing to open public bathroom doors. Never got sick. The first time I started using extra precautions was the time I got noro....go figure.:p

[nellydean]

If you are going to take all these precautions, then be prepared to go to the same lengths once you step off the boat, because those same germs are all around you, in shops, restaurants, public toilets, tourist attractions etc.

 

If there is a noro outbreak then, yes, by all means, take extra care, but the general consensus now is that these wipes are no longer thought to be effective, which is why some ships don't hand them out anymore at the dining rooms/buffet

 

Sensible hand washing prior to eating is usually all that's required, otherwise we'd all be sick all the time

 

You only have to look at Michael Jackson's germ-free zone to see where that's got him- he's one of the most unhealthy specimens alive